••• Noticing the “leased” sign at 700 State Street (corner of Ortega), I planned to look into who the tenant might be, only to subsequently see commercial real estate agent Caitlin Hensel post on Instagram that it’ll be a “local distillery.” The liquor license application, meanwhile, is for an “on-sale general eating place,” which means the licensee “must operate and maintain the licensed premises as a bona fide eating place”; it’s in the name of Chris Chiarappa, who has been on a tear lately, with his Mesa Burger chain, Lighthouse Coffee, Corner Tap, the forthcoming Kitchen 530 incubator, and perhaps an ice cream shop.
••• And just to the south, Wylde Works is opening at 609 State Street (Ortega/Cota). “Dylan and Sydney Wylde are artists, beekeepers and fermenters based in Santa Barbara,” says the company’s Instagram bio; Wylde Works sells raw honey, Hard Jun Kombucha, and mead. I would assume it’s a tasting room and bottle shop.
••• Share this announcement from the Santa Barbara Foundation with any restaurateurs you know: “The Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation Restaurant Fund announced a new grant program today to provide relief for small, independently-owned, dine-in restaurants during the ongoing pandemic. Small businesses in the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley (including Los Alamos) are eligible to apply for grants up to $10,000.” More info on the grants is here.
••• Solvang is getting another new restaurant: Sear Steakhouse, from the owners of K’Syrah Catering & Events/Maverick Saloon and Alberto Battaglini (of Santa Ynez’s Pony Espresso, is due next month in the K’Syrah Catering & Events Solvang venue space. The chef is Erik Dandee, which makes me wish he and I could switch last names.
••• Coastal Coffee Collective has launched instant coffee—if anyone can pull it off, they can.
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